Electric-current interrupter



April 2o, 1926. 1,581,754

R. MECHAU ELECTR C CURRENT INTERRUPTER Filed August 13 1921 propertles in onesingle device may be -ad- Patented Apr. 2o, 192e. y

UNITED STATI-:s

PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT HECHAU, OFJENA, GERMANY, ASSIGNR T0 THE FIRM CARL ZEISIS, F JENA, GERMANY).

Inzamam-CURRENT" INTEBRUrTER.

Application led August 13, 1921. Serial No. 492,134.

(GRANTED UNDER TEE PROVISIONS 0F THE AYCT 0F M BCH 3, 1921, 4i STAT. L., 1313.)

To all 'whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, ROBERT MECHAU, a citizen of the German Empire, residing at Jena, Germany, have invented anew and useful Electric-Current Interrupter (for which I have filed an application 'in Germany, May 6, 1920, Patent No. 348,404, May 7 1920; and England, July 8, 1920, Patent No. 147 ,485, July 8, 1920), of which the f ollowing is a specication. The present invention relates to interrupters of electric directcurrents in whichl interrupters a round metallic body isrotatably disposed on a base plate. Around the said body -are disposed a plurality of pieces of insulating materialhat about equa distances apart and a plurality of brushesrare fitted on the base plate and sliding on the said insulating pieces. Hence, the invention relates to interrupters which, e. g. are put in circuit of atelephone in order to also render perceptible a direct current with the aidlof the telephone. In accordance with the invention such interrupters areprovided with a number of magnets, which are arranged in such a manner that their lines of force ,intersect the rotating body. Consequently a device is provided by means .of which not only an electric current ma be 1nterrupted, but at the same time ali ditional current producedl in the circuit of the current which is to be interrupted, since the rotating metallic bod through its movement in the magnetic iie d acts Las the armature of a d amo. The combination of both vantageous, as for example inthe following case. ,-When ascertaining weak electric cur- Y rents, which may be caused by rays of heat impinging upon a thermo-pile, disturbances may occur in that, in the conductin system which contains the thermo-pile an the indicating device, additionall electromotive forces become evident, which may render the desired indications diicult, or entirely' impossible. Now, if in the circuit `of the thermo-pile an interruptor is laced which 'makes t e direct current p uced by the thermo-pile noticeable in a telephone, this interrupter may, when constructed accordlng tothe invention, ysimultaneously serve for compensating any disturbing electrolmotiveA forces, Awhereby it is immaterial "a manner that they produce in the rotating bodyY electromotive forces having opposite signs, and that corresponding to the desired magnitude and direction of the current either the one or the other megnet is brought nearer to the saidv body. When using electromagnets, the variationl of magnitude and direction of the current may be e'ected by vdisposing one single magnet only, if prov1s1on 1s made, that the currentpassingthrou h the `magnet coil may be varied as regar magnitude and direction.- he annexed vdrawing shows an interrupter according to the invention. Fig. 1 is an elevation, Fig. 2 is a side-elevation. A

The rotating metallic body of this interrupter consists of a toothed metallic disc a, the tootlrspaces a1 of which are filled out with insulating material. Two brushes c, which are in connection withjtwo bindingscrews b, slide against the periphery of the v disc a, and b the side of the disc a an electro-magnet lis disposed, the iron core of ,which is perpendicular to the disc, and the ma et Jcoil of which is connected to two bin ing-screws e. The interrupter which is shownv is intended for interrupting the current furnished by a thermo-element f to ensure that currents which for any prolonged period of time iow with the same, or approximately the same, intensit are also made audible in a telephone g.` he electromagnet d, which is intended for producing 96 an additional current in the disc a is assumed to be supplied -by a battery h, which, after connection to a regulating resistan z' and a commutator lo, is to be connected to around the said body at about ual distance the binding-screws e. apart, a plurality of brushes tted on the `I claim: base plate and sliding on the said insulating l0 In an electric direct current interrupter pieces, and a magnet system so disposed in 5 abase plate, a round metallic body rotatably the vicinity of the metallic body that its disposed on the base plate, a plurality of lines of force intersect it. N' pieces of insulating material disposed ROBERT MECHAU. 

